Who is the hardest centre half we've had?

[linlithgowhibbie]

I'll admit to being an old timer so have seen plenty centre halves since the early 60s, I reckon the following 3 are the hardest CHs we've had.
1 John MacNamee
2. Roy Barry
3. John Madsen

Any other suggestions?

[Jonnyboy]

I'll admit to being an old timer so have seen plenty centre halves since the early 60s, I reckon the following 3 are the hardest CHs we've had.
1 John MacNamee
2. Roy Barry
3. John Madsen

Any other suggestions?

By a long way :greengrin

George Stewart was quite a toughy too

[Barney McGrew]

The first three were before my time, but from who I've seen it has to be Shaun Dennis. The guy was (and still is) totally bonkers.

[Mixu62]

Gordon Rae.

[Siralbertkidd]

I think Madsen got sine die for being mental, but him and McNamee are my first recollectoions of guys not to be messed with.

[PC Stamp]

John Blackley rarely gets mentioned in these sort of discussions because he was a top quality footballer, but Sloop could be a real dirty barsteward when he wanted! :greengrin

[snooky]

John Blackley rarely gets mentionedin these sort of discussions because he was a top quality footballer, but Sloop could be a real dirty barsteward when he wanted! :greengrin

Yep. I heard somewhere that none of the Tornados wanted to be on his opposing side at training. Also, check out that great photo of Mr J Greig holding his shin in agony and a no. 6 shirt trotting off in the background. One of my all-time favourite snaps.
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://thm-a01.yimg.com/nimage/99ae43dd70dc6ce6&imgrefurl=http://pt.domotica.net/John_Blackley&usg=__qDDfGnfh_qHZJN9DIIUem-Pv9MU=&h=104&w=155&sz=4&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=zweay1kWCkwHlM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=124&ei=GO7nTZjnO42p8APtqaCCCg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Djohn%2Bgreig%2Bjohn%2Bblackley%26um%3 D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4SUNC_enGB361GB361 %26biw%3D1419%26bih%3D571%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=179&vpy=139&dur=15&hovh=83&hovw=124&tx=49&ty=51&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&biw=1419&bih=571

[Ferryhibby]

John Blackley, George Stewart and although he moved to midfield he started as a CH Matty Jack

[Niffy]

Big Tweedy could kick folk up and down the park (Tweedy , traitor bassss)

[3pm]

I thought Darren Dods was the hardest to watch. Does that count?

[hibsbollah]

Hunter. But weve never been blessed with that many really scary ones in my time.

[TRIALIST]

I'll admit to being an old timer so have seen plenty centre halves since the early 60s, I reckon the following 3 are the hardest CHs we've had.
1 John MacNamee
2. Roy Barry
3. John Madsen

Any other suggestions?

1. John MacNamee 2. Roy Barry 3, Billy McLaren

[archiebald]

Roy Barry -bought because Dixie Deans was s- - t scared of him.:agree:

[Ollie Reed]

Don't you remember his twinkle toed running style?.Gordon Hunter was the bravest,hardest,never crap out of tackle player we've had for me.I remember one evening game at ER against St Mirren he and their Tommy Wilson? Had a twenty yard run each towards a high bouncing ball. To be fair their guy didn't pull out either but the collision was sickening.Hunter was unassuming but had the heart of a tiger :agree:

Although there'd be right harder players that have played, GH was responsible for the best tackle I've seen in ma puff.

If you can't bear to watch this game, fast forward to around 8.05 mins.

Hunter on Colquhoun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVw6ZhrDq_E&feature=watch_response_rev)

Spoke to GH a few years afterwards, and he remembered this challenge well.

[Franck Stanton]

I'll admit to being an old timer so have seen plenty centre halves since the early 60s, I reckon the following 3 are the hardest CHs we've had.
1 John MacNamee
2. Roy Barry
3. John Madsen

Any other suggestions?

These three, in that order, were , without doubt, the hardest, dirtiest bad-ass c/h's we [or anyone else] has had playong for them [ obviously Scotland only].

[Green forever]

Not a great player but Billy "studs" McLaren was no shrinking violet. Remember him sending Gregor Stevens packing at castle greyskull way back in the early eighties and he was supposed to be the hardest around at the time.

[Tricla]

Yogi. :dunno:

[Hiber-nation]

Although there'd be right harder players that have played, GH was responsible for the best tackle I've seen in ma puff.

If you can't bear to watch this game, fast forward to around 8.05 mins.

Hunter on Colquhoun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVw6ZhrDq_E&feature=watch_response_rev)

Spoke to GH a few years afterwards, and he remembered this challenge well.

Superb....and poor old Willie Miller gets booked for it!

[jdships]

John Madsen :top marks

[sixtwo]

Sir Franck Sauzee

oposing players would ***** themselves when they seen him. Not because they were physically intimidated they were scared because they knew this man would make them look daft. He might have been older than the strikers he faced but his experience, vision, touch and pass was lightyears ahead of most players in the spl in that time

[Hibeesb0unc3]

Sir Franck Sauzee

oposing players would ***** themselves when they seen him. Not because they were physically intimidated they were scared because they knew this man would make them look daft. He might have been older than the strikers he faced but his experience, vision, touch and pass was lightyears ahead of most players in the spl in that time

given the quality of the spl atm he still lightyears ahead of most players in the spl

[AlbertK86]

Not a great player but Billy &quot;studs&quot; McLaren was no shrinking violet. Remember him sending Gregor Stevens packing at castle greyskull way back in the early eighties and he was supposed to be the hardest around at the time.<br />
Gregor stevens .. Hard you must be havin a laugh. He was a dirty get but couldnae take it back.
Gordon rae was hard as nails. I remember mark mcghee trying to noise up and threaten kano one day. The next thing i knew i could lip read big gogs saying to a very young kano 'leave the c you next tuesday to me' seconds later he absolutely clatterred mcghee. mcghee absolutely **** himself and had to go off. Big gogs .. Not a great player but defo a very hard man

[pentlando]

Yogi. :dunno:

For the dislocated finger alone!

[marleyhib]

Superb....and poor old Willie Miller gets booked for it!

Right in the knackers, I hated that wee yam fud

[yekimevol]

ian murray :wink:
http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/dailyrecord3/jan2011/1/7/ian-black-ki-986844781.jpg

[snooky]

ian murray :wink:
http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/dailyrecord3/jan2011/1/7/ian-black-ki-986844781.jpg

Terrible tackle but.....
comes under the same banner as "justifiable homicide"

[half.time.draw.]

Gordon Rae.


Yep and actually a very nice guy:agree:

[Petrie's Tache]

Yep. I heard somewhere that none of the Tornados wanted to be on his opposing side at training. Also, check out that great photo of Mr J Greig holding his shin in agony and a no. 6 shirt trotting off in the background. One of my all-time favourite snaps.
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://thm-a01.yimg.com/nimage/99ae43dd70dc6ce6&imgrefurl=http://pt.domotica.net/John_Blackley&usg=__qDDfGnfh_qHZJN9DIIUem-Pv9MU=&h=104&w=155&sz=4&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=zweay1kWCkwHlM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=124&ei=GO7nTZjnO42p8APtqaCCCg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Djohn%2Bgreig%2Bjohn%2Bblackley%26um%3 D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4SUNC_enGB361GB361 %26biw%3D1419%26bih%3D571%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=179&vpy=139&dur=15&hovh=83&hovw=124&tx=49&ty=51&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&biw=1419&bih=571


Anyone have a larger image of that I know of a certain person who may like to see it!:agree:

[Peevemor]

Anyone have a larger image of that I know of a certain person who may like to see it!:agree:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e43/hibbybrian/JohnGreigvJohnBlackley.jpg

[TRC]

Strange choice he didn't play that often but i remember him being a hard player was Joe McLaughlan.

[brog]

IMO, big John McNamee wins hands down. One wee story, Big John was coming back from one of his many suspensions & played a reserve game midweek at Love St. A work colleague's son, 16 or 17, was making his debut for Saints. In first half he dummied John & hit one just over bar. John ruffled his hair & Saints crowd applauded John. At end of game the dad said to youngster, "that was nice of McNamee". "Nice"?, said the lad, " he told me he'd break my !!!!!!! leg if I did it again"!!
PS, Jackie Mac was a hard man & must enter lists if only for his double tackle on the 2 Derek's, Parlane & Johnstone, which left both receiving treatment at the same time!!

[grantonhibee]

big geebsie or gordon rae

[delbert]

Someone said earlier that Roy Barry would have pulled out of challenges made by Geebsie. Have to say that when Roy Barry played for Hibs, he never pulled out of a challenge from anyone, he was as hard a centre half as I have seen in a Hibs shirt, totally 'committed' for want of a better word. When he hit you, you stayed hit, and whilst its nice to have footballers about the place, what I would give for a centre half like that now in the middle of our powder puff defence. To be fair, he was also an excellent tackler and more often than not took the ball cleanly, but if he did'nt, he certainly was'nt overly concerned, happy days.

[--------]

I'll admit to being an old timer so have seen plenty centre halves since the early 60s, I reckon the following 3 are the hardest CHs we've had.
1 John MacNamee
2. Roy Barry
3. John Madsen

Any other suggestions?


Big Bad John by a country mile. Toon fans will still tell you about a game against Leeds United when BBJ went up for a cross, cleared the ball, and flattened Billy Bremner, Jackie Charlton AND Norman Hunter all at the same time.

I somehow never really liked Roy Barry. One time he was quoted in the press about how he was going to put the hems on Alan Gordon. Ned put Shades up front for the first ten minutes, Shades settled Barry's hash good and proper.

"Accidental clash of heads" IIRC. :devil:

Madsen took no prisoners, but I think George Stewart would get my vote as #2. Solid citizen, Big George, and a very fine player.

But then there were the 2 Jackie's from the 40's and 50's - Paterson and Plenderleith. Robust pivots the pair of them.

Sloop (not a centre-half, I know) could hand it out too - memorably to John 'Submarine' MacDonald at Ibrox. MacDonald dived on a challenge by Sloop and won an undeserved penalty. (I know it's hard to believe, a soft pen for the Beasts at Ibrox, but it's the truth.) He must have said something cheeky to Sloop, because a few minutes later Sloop went through him, a two footed, twelve-studded, Warp Ten blooter that put MacD cartwheeling 6 feet off the ground and left him in a heap. The referee (Bobby Davids-Hun) blew immediately, but Sloop didn't even look at him, just got up and walked straight off the park.

MacDonald IIRC followed on the physio's shoulder about 5 minutes later. We lost 1-0, but Sloop won the head-to-head by a KO.

Sadly, the rules have changed and we're not likely to see the likes of these boys again...

[stu in nottingham]

John McNamee for me, with honourable mentions to John Madsen, John Blackley and Geebsie.

Some of the hardest men I have seen in the game in no particular order have been Dave Mackay, Kenny Burns, the 'Anfield Iron' Tommy Smith and Johnny Giles.

[.Sean.]

I'd love an absolute psycopath at centre half, a shaven-headed, tattoed terryfing monster who'd bleed for the cause and put the frightners up the nancy boys like Samaras et al.

[JimBHibees]

IMO, big John McNamee wins hands down. One wee story, Big John was coming back from one of his many suspensions & played a reserve game midweek at Love St. A work colleague's son, 16 or 17, was making his debut for Saints. In first half he dummied John & hit one just over bar. John ruffled his hair & Saints crowd applauded John. At end of game the dad said to youngster, "that was nice of McNamee". "Nice"?, said the lad, " he told me he'd break my !!!!!!! leg if I did it again"!!


Brilliant story. :thumbsup:

[fat freddy]

gordon rae was made of leather with a steel innertube..

[Stevie Reid]

The first three were before my time, but from who I've seen it has to be Shaun Dennis. The guy was (and still is) totally bonkers.

I remember hearing a story that he got sent home from training the morning after he got told he was being freed as he was in a rage trying to crunch everybody.


Sir Franck Sauzee

oposing players would ***** themselves when they seen him. Not because they were physically intimidated they were scared because they knew this man would make them look daft. He might have been older than the strikers he faced but his experience, vision, touch and pass was lightyears ahead of most players in the spl in that time

Davie Provan (who usually writes a lot of *****e) wrote once in an article that an ex pro had told him that Sauzee hit him with the most subtely delivered elbow to the puss, without batting even an eyelid.

[poolman]

John Madsen :top marks


:agree:

Remember him playing in baseball boots in the winter when there was really hard grounds

[Ollie Reed]

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e43/hibbybrian/JohnGreigvJohnBlackley.jpg

Probably the 3rd best photo ever, after Albert Kidd's goals.

[SkintHibby]

For the dislocated finger alone!

That was Shaun Dennis, not Yogi!

[Bostonhibby]

John Macnamee by several miles

[sahib]

:agree:

Remember him playing in baseball boots in the winter when there was really hard grounds

Jings! memory is a funny thing but that simple description of Madsens footware had the years tumbling away. I could quite clearly remember standing watching him wearing them.:greengrin

[poolman]

Jings! memory is a funny thing but that simple description of Madsens footware had the years tumbling away. I could quite clearly remember standing watching him wearing them.:greengrin


We must be a pair of wrinkly old boogers now :greengrin

[KiddA]

Sir Franck Sauzee

oposing players would ***** themselves when they seen him. Not because they were physically intimidated they were scared because they knew this man would make them look daft. He might have been older than the strikers he faced but his experience, vision, touch and pass was lightyears ahead of most players in the spl in that time

Have to agree, I work with a lad over here who played against Franck and he said he could not get near the ball at all. His name was Moussa Dagnogo played for St Mirren a few years back. He said that just when he thought he would get the ball Franck came out of nowhere and got the ball :agree: he also said that his turns and flicks were unreal.

[skipster7]

Although there'd be right harder players that have played, GH was responsible for the best tackle I've seen in ma puff.

If you can't bear to watch this game, fast forward to around 8.05 mins.

Hunter on Colquhoun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVw6ZhrDq_E&feature=watch_response_rev)

Spoke to GH a few years afterwards, and he remembered this challenge well.
i was at that game but probably a bit bevvied.brilliant tackle:top marks

[Jonnyboy]

Big Bad John by a country mile. Toon fans will still tell you about a game against Leeds United when BBJ went up for a cross, cleared the ball, and flattened Billy Bremner, Jackie Charlton AND Norman Hunter all at the same time.

I somehow never really liked Roy Barry. One time he was quoted in the press about how he was going to put the hems on Alan Gordon. Ned put Shades up front for the first ten minutes, Shades settled Barry's hash good and proper.

"Accidental clash of heads" IIRC. :devil:

Madsen took no prisoners, but I think George Stewart would get my vote as #2. Solid citizen, Big George, and a very fine player.

But then there were the 2 Jackie's from the 40's and 50's - Paterson and Plenderleith. Robust pivots the pair of them.

Sloop (not a centre-half, I know) could hand it out too - memorably to John 'Submarine' MacDonald at Ibrox. MacDonald dived on a challenge by Sloop and won an undeserved penalty. (I know it's hard to believe, a soft pen for the Beasts at Ibrox, but it's the truth.) He must have said something cheeky to Sloop, because a few minutes later Sloop went through him, a two footed, twelve-studded, Warp Ten blooter that put MacD cartwheeling 6 feet off the ground and left him in a heap. The referee (Bobby Davids-Hun) blew immediately, but Sloop didn't even look at him, just got up and walked straight off the park.

MacDonald IIRC followed on the physio's shoulder about 5 minutes later. We lost 1-0, but Sloop won the head-to-head by a KO.

Sadly, the rules have changed and we're not likely to see the likes of these boys again...

That was at East End Park Doddie and I recall as the team's lined up to kick off I was thinking 'what's Shades doing?' It soon became apparent :greengrin

[Hiber-nation]

That was Shaun Dennis, not Yogi!

Maybe it happened to Shaun but I was in the East when Yogi got his finger dislocated back into place by the physio with a big cheesy grin on his coupon, while in total agony.

[Hiber-nation]

Jings! memory is a funny thing but that simple description of Madsens footware had the years tumbling away. I could quite clearly remember standing watching him wearing them.:greengrin

I think it was on New Year's Day 1969 maybe. 0-0 draw, frozen ER pitch. Couldn't believe what I was seeing, this madman sliding about halfing herts forwards wearing baseball boots!

[Petrie's Tache]

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e43/hibbybrian/JohnGreigvJohnBlackley.jpg


Cheers Peeve. Will be sure to send it on.

[MontrealHibs]

Maybe it happened to Shaun but I was in the East when Yogi got his finger dislocated back into place by the physio with a big cheesy grin on his coupon, while in total agony.

I am questioning which one it was now.... Remember the game, and both were big tough centre halfs. I recall Hughes putting John Brown over the sponsor boards at Easter Road as well.

I would say in my days (since I started going in 84) it would have been Rae, Hunter and Dennis. Although Budgie was harder than them all!

[AndersonGGTTH]

on more recent terms.. Rob Jones? Sol Bamba:confused:

[cad]

John McNamee for me, with honourable mentions to John Madsen, John Blackley and Geebsie.

Some of the hardest men I have seen in the game in no particular order have been Dave Mackay, Kenny Burns, the 'Anfield Iron' Tommy Smith and Johnny Giles.


Canny agree with all them Stu
Giles may have been a lot of things but hard wasnt one of them , dirty, sneaky
over the top he left a few in was his trade mark .

Norman was tough along with Big Jack ,Smith was made of steel loved Tommy , Burns was a better player than most thought but his grit was what he was there for ,
Johnny Giles never in yer puff was he a toughie

[Greentinted]

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e43/hibbybrian/JohnGreigvJohnBlackley.jpg

"He feels so broke up, he wants to go home" :greengrin

[PC Stamp]

Big Bad John by a country mile. Toon fans will still tell you about a game against Leeds United when BBJ went up for a cross, cleared the ball, and flattened Billy Bremner, Jackie Charlton AND Norman Hunter all at the same time.

I somehow never really liked Roy Barry. One time he was quoted in the press about how he was going to put the hems on Alan Gordon. Ned put Shades up front for the first ten minutes, Shades settled Barry's hash good and proper.

"Accidental clash of heads" IIRC. :devil:

Madsen took no prisoners, but I think George Stewart would get my vote as #2. Solid citizen, Big George, and a very fine player.

But then there were the 2 Jackie's from the 40's and 50's - Paterson and Plenderleith. Robust pivots the pair of them.

Sloop (not a centre-half, I know) could hand it out too - memorably to John 'Submarine' MacDonald at Ibrox. MacDonald dived on a challenge by Sloop and won an undeserved penalty. (I know it's hard to believe, a soft pen for the Beasts at Ibrox, but it's the truth.) He must have said something cheeky to Sloop, because a few minutes later Sloop went through him, a two footed, twelve-studded, Warp Ten blooter that put MacD cartwheeling 6 feet off the ground and left him in a heap. The referee (Bobby Davids-Hun) blew immediately, but Sloop didn't even look at him, just got up and walked straight off the park.

MacDonald IIRC followed on the physio's shoulder about 5 minutes later. We lost 1-0, but Sloop won the head-to-head by a KO.

Sadly, the rules have changed and we're not likely to see the likes of these boys again...

I maintain to this day that if the Tornadoes had Roy Barry in place of Jim Black, we'd have been a good bet for both the League & Scottish Cup.

[--------]

:agree:

Remember him playing in baseball boots in the winter when there was really hard grounds


All the players wore baseball boots when the grounds were frozen hard, IIRC. It was the only way the games could go ahead.

It was like playing on rough pitted concrete, but really skillful players could thrive on it. Of course, if the likes of BBJ or John Madsen caught you, you were badly burned toast. JM was very quick over the ground, and nimble, which meant that the frozen icy pitches suited him to a tee.

I remember Peter Marinello running the Dundee United defence (Doug and Walter Smith) ragged on a frozen-hard ER pitch one January - skating past them as if they weren't there, while they couldn't turn or change direction for toffee.

Just a thought - if BBJ were playing today, would he be classed as a Weapon of Mass Destruction? :not worth

[stu in nottingham]

Canny agree with all them Stu
Giles may have been a lot of things but hard wasnt one of them , dirty, sneaky
over the top he left a few in was his trade mark .

Norman was tough along with Big Jack ,Smith was made of steel loved Tommy , Burns was a better player than most thought but his grit was what he was there for ,
Johnny Giles never in yer puff was he a toughie

I dunno mate. I'd agree with that nasty sly attitude that Giles had but I thought he was very well capable of looking after himself. Suppose it depends on how 'hard' is defined. I never actually thought that Hunter was the hard man that he was renowned as. Obviously a tough guy in the tackle but then again when faced with someone of his own ilk such as Smith he might well crap out and go and bully someone else. A lot of his stuff was from behind as well. My abiding memory of him will always be his 'fight' with Frannie Lee of Derby with the latter going completely gaga and Norman engaging reverse gear!

Not many people ever talk about Burns these days but he came to Forest and converted from being (mostly but not always) a striker into an uncompromising and dominating central defender who quickly won 'Player of the Year' in England. He could certainly play a bit (lot) as well as put the frighteners on his opponents.

[thebakerboy]

Great remembering all these great stories and have to say John McNamee Roy Barrie and Jon Madsen would be my favourites closely followed by Geebsie and Big Gogs to say that without doubt the hardest player I have ever seen has to be Shades , remember the tackle in the 0 7 game when he did a somersault and just kept on running to set up goal , but not a CH of course.:hibees

[brog]

Reading through the many memorable posts it seems like Big Bad John is ahead on the vote but perhaps as a clincher can I mention John chasing Jock Stein down the Ibrox tunnel & trying to kick him up the a*** !!
The occasion was League Cup semi final replay after Celtc robbed us in the first game with the worst refereeing decision I've ever seen. Funny those things are never mentioned when we hear about conspiracies!

[hibsbollah]

Kevin McCann?